What a bananas summer. If you've been following us here at DGWU Sports since the Sabres playoff run ended - and THANK YOU, if so - you've been acutely aware of our shared struggles at finding content to keep the posts coming. For me, it's been tempered by my love for the Mets - though, their general poor play has mitigated any boon to my productivity - as well as the legal issues surrounding the NFL Lockout, and my rather lonely interest in the Women's World Cup. Regardless, as I am still pretty new to the site, the struggle with keeping things fresh has probably been easier for me than the rest of the News Team, since they're actually all used to having, well, news - and in particular, Buffalo news - to talk about. Happily, this is all going to change soon. Of course, the Bills' season starts in earnest next Sunday, and with reports of KC's Matt Cassel suffering an injury which may keep him off the field on Sunday, it looks like the Bills season may start with a little big of a leg up. Have at it, boys.

As this first game approaches, and I try to get a handle on my expectations for the year, I find myself way more optimistic than I ever thought I would. While I don't put much stock in win-loss predictions, particularly those that come from my own disjointed and neurotic thought process, I can already tell that my prediction is brighter than a lot of fans. I've seen a lot of blogs and tweets putting the numbers at 4-12 or 5-11. I think that's shorting the team's talent - did I just write that? - as well as their strength of schedule, and that we're actually looking at a decent chance of hitting 8-8 for the first time in years. The Bills have a Bye in Week 7, and I am hopeful that they'll be 4-2 at that point, with wins against the Chiefs, Raiders, Bengals and Giants, and losses against the Pats and Eagles. After the Bye, the strength of my prediction falls apart a little, as the schedule seems to be full of games that could go either way. To be safe, I say we split against the Dolphins, and also against the Jets - we ALWAYS split the Jets, no matter how strong a team they are. I think we beat the Cowboys and Redskins - or at least, can beat them - so it seems realistic to predict a split of those games as well. Which leaves Chargers, Titans and Broncos - of which I think the Bills will win 1 or 2 - and the Pats - who will beat the Bills handily, as usual (though, if they've clinched a playoff spot, NE may be playing Brady-less in the Orchard Park winter...who knows what could happen?). If you add all that up, it looks like 8-8 is actually sensible, if a little optimistic, and maybe they even hit 9-7.

Or not. What the hell do I know? However it plays out, I'm PUMPED for this season to start, and for my predictions to fall apart before my eyes.

The Amish Rifle. And a guy named Geoff who was just cut.

God, I did not intend to go on so long of a Bills-related tangent. Sorry, folks. By now, though, you should all be used to the complete absence of direction when I post here.

Of course, the Bills aren't the only game in town - indeed, by mid-October, they may be a distant memory for Buffalo fans who prefer to keep their self-flagellation to a minimum. The Sabres also start soon, with preseason only a few weeks off, and the regular season beginning in early October as the Sabres play a slate of games abroad in Europe. Craziness. For as excited I am about football starting, I know that my excitement for the Sabres will be immense as soon as the season is within spitting distance. But, in a way, I feel like the high-priced off-season acquisitions, and the high expectations that come with them, have created a subtle fear within my gut. A fear that anything less than a red hot start to the season will be a disappointment. While my expectations for the Bills season can be colored by hope which, while legitimate, is ultimately without much substance, my expectations for the Sabres season are colored by a hope so substantial it feels burdensome almost.

Either way, here we are at the end of summer - socially speaking, not astronomically - and Buffalo fans have a lot to look forward to (and fear...really, as much as things change, they really do stay the fucking same). It's been a long and arduous summer here at DGWU Sports, with some highs and lows, and thanks for sticking it out with us as we've trudged through the muck of these hot and humid months. In case you've missed some of the highlights, and in case you're still looking for some reading to pull you through this last week before the real fun starts, here are my completely subjective and probably debatable top 10 posts of the summer.10. The Apologist dives Back Into Baseball, replete with predictions which are worth looking at as we head into the MLB postseason.

8. The Yachtsman revels in the loss of Southern Hockey in Atlanta with What Is and What Should Never Be. (He also follows it up with a great post, Realignment, but since he's been so MIA this summer, I couldn't justify giving him more than 2 spots in my top 10).

7. The Scizz talks wrestling, which was WAY too common this summer, with a breakdown of his top 10 wrestler debuts: It's All in the Debut, with a Part Deux as well. (h/t to Joe from Buffalo Wins for his contributions on this two-parter).

All in all, a successful summer considering we all felt no small amount of embarassment at the frequent lag in content as these summer months dragged on. Indeed, I didn't even include the many CrapTastiCasts we recorded (conveniently archived here, and at the top of our site's banner), or the various NASCAR posts that found their way up, or Scizz's Sabres Summer Movie Preview Series (which, on second thought, should've cracked the Top 10, but I'm fucking tired kids). Maybe we weren't as delinquent as we thought.

In any event, it has been a great summer, and I for one am happy to have been a part of it here at DGWU Sports. Taking us out, for those that don't follow me or Scizz on twitter, is the most recent of our "Streetcasts," recorded last Thursday in the midst of some day-into-night-drinking out in Hoboken and featuring further thoughts on the Bills as we head towards yet another season of oblivion. Enjoy.